Hospital lift for invalids



June 15 ,'1926. f A 1,538,573

v s. c. EDMlsfroN HOSPITAL LIFT FOR INVALIDS v fz JZ J9 6j Filed August 24). 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l l,61 la n JZ i j Y l u I l! v.

Junel 15 1926. Y l1,588,573

l s. c. EDMlsToN HOSPITAL LIFT FOR INVALIDS Filed Augus'b 24, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 15, 1926.

UNITED STATES SIMON C. EDMISTON, 0FV LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

HOSPITAL' LIFT FOR INVALIDB.

Application filed August 24, 1925. Serial No. 52,107.

My invention is a hospital lift f or invalids adapted to be attached to a hospital bed or incorporated therewith as a permanent structure to lift an invalid on a stretcher type of framedabove a bed and to hold the invalid so suspended.'

My hospitalflift for invahds comprises a pair of standards which may. be placed at the secured thereto. Each standard supports a cross frame and a pair of rotary rails extend between the opposite sides of the cross frames and a stretcher support is suspended below the rails b'y-means of straps. `By a system of shafts iid gears connected to the rotary rails and operated by a suitably positioned crank, the rails may be rotated t -o raise and lower the stretcher frame. This stretcher frame has a supporting web made in sections so that narrow strips can passed underneath the invalid and then secured into the stretcher frame which may then be operated to lift the invalid.

In greater detail it may be stated that my invention embodies a vertical shaft in one of tlfe standards geared to cross shafts in the cross frame supported thereby and by a system of bevelled gears operates rails. The. standards are provided with clamps which may readily e attached to a bed by thumb screws and the like and they are also made adjustable in length4 to accommodate different heights of beds. I-

also provide a particular form of devicefor securing the web passing under the patient to the stretcher frame by a pinching type of hold whereby the weight of the patient ti htens the straps securing the web and al ows quick attachment and detachment.

My invention will be more readily under-- stoodfrom the following description and drwings, in which;

' i hospital lift for invalids attached to a hospital type of bed. v

Fig. 2 is a plan of thedevice lshowing' the operating cross frame in section.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of Fig. 2 on the line 3-3 in the direction of the arrows, showin the manner of operating the rotary side ra' s by means of a crank supported by the end standard.

head and foot ofa bedand detachably the rotary sidere 1 is a perspective view ,of my.

Fig. 4 isa detail on the line- 4--4 of Fig.

2 in the direction of the arrows, showing.

the retaining journal for the rotary side rails. This section is also on the line 4--4 ofFig.5. i

Fig.5 is a plan of the construction of Fig: 4.

4ig. 6 is a` perspective view of a corner of the stretcher `frame, showing the arrangement for attaching the web thereto.

Fig. 7 is a cross section of one of the stretcher rails on the line 77 of Fig. 6, showin the manner of threading the web throu the side rails. v

Re erring first to Fig. 1, a hospital bed 1s designated generally by the numeral 1, having a head 2 and a foot 3 each of which is provided with a base rail 4 and a top ra'il 45. My hospital lift is designated generally by the numeral 6 and is constructed with a head standard 7 and a foot standard 8, which may be secured by readily attachable and detachable clamps 9 to the bed. Each of these standardsv carries a cross frame, such as the frame 10 on the head standard and the fixed frame 11 on the foot standard. A pair of rotary side rails 12 are rotatably supported on the outer ends of said standards and have straps 13 attached thereto which are connected by hooks to the stretcher frame 14.- 'lliis frame has a series of Webs l5 secured thereto by lacing straps 16 and forms the direct support for the invalid.

The head standard 7 will be described in detail and is constructed substantially as follows.; having reference to Figs. 1 and 3 in particular:

The standard has a lower telescopic leg 17 which is formed a leg member 18 housed in a tube 19. 's tube is split at its lowerfend and has a pair of ears 20 with a clamp screw therethrough so that the sections 18 and 19 of the telescopic leg may be readily clamped at diil'erent positions. This leg supports a gear casing 21-which is secured to the upper elid of the tube 1 9 and v is constructed with a bottom and top plate l22 and 23 having similar side plates 24.

with the worm 28 which' is keyed on a shaft 29 journaled in bearing plates 30. A crank 31 1s provided to rotate the Worm and thereby the worm wheel and the shaft 26.

A gear bracket 32 is permanently secured to the upper end of the pipe 25 and is constructed with a base 33 and a pairof ears 34. The cross frame 10 is supported by the gear bracket 32 and comprises a pair of tubular bars 34 permanently fixed to the ears of the bracket 35 and eac-h having a yoke 36 attached to its outer end. The arms 37 of the yoke provide journals for a stub shaft 38. The vertical shaft 26 housed in the pipe 25 has a bevel gear 39 secured to its upper end and operating in the gear bracket 32. This gear meshes with a bevel gear 40 splined on a shaft` 41 which extends through the tubular bars 34 to the yoke 36 in which a bevel gear 42 on the ends of the sha-ft 41 mesh with bevel gears 43 on the stub shafts 38.

It will be seen by this means that a rotation of the crank 31 through the medium of the worm 28 and Worm gear 27 turnsA the vertical shaft,26, which through the medlum of the bevel ears 39 and 40 rotates the cross shaft 41 wbhich in turn through the bevel gears 42 and 43 at opposite ends thereof rotates vthe stub shafts 38.

As above mentioned the standards 7 and S are secured to the top rails 5 of the bed by means of clamps 9. These are shown as constructed of a back plate 44 hollowed to engage the cross rail and a front plate 45 hollowed to engage the standard, the two plates being secured together by bolts 46 having thumb nuts thereon; thus forming a quick means for attaching and detaching a standard from the ends of the bed. The gear casing 21 is provided with a pair of hooks 47 which may be clamped over the base rail 4 and thus hold the standard in proper position relative to the bed. In fact, it is unnecessary when using these hooks that the telescopic section of the legs 17 should be clamped sufiiciently tight to support the whole standard and the weight of the patient.

The foot standard 8 is of simpler construction as may be seen from Figs. 1 and 2. The standard has a telescopic leg 48 which may be of the same character as that `utilized for the head standard 7, having a lower section 49 and an upper section- 50 which is secured to the top rail 5 by means of the clamp 9. T he upper section 50 has rigidly connected thereto a T 51 and the fixed frame 11 is formed by a pair of arms 52 threaded into the T and having bearing brackets 53 at their outer ends. These brackets support at the. foot end of the bed the rotary rails 1.2, which rails are preferably made of hollow tubing fitting over the stub shafts 38 and securedthereto by pins 54 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Thus the ous from the above description.

rotation of the stub shafts turns the rails 12.

The type of bearing brackets 53 are shown particularly in Figs. 4 and 5 and are constructed substantially as follows:

A solid plug 55 is preferably inserted in the ends of the rails 12 and these rails are slightly grooved annularly as indicated at 56 so that the balls 57 will fit in these grooves. The balls themselves are supported in semispherical recesses 58 in the bearing brackets. The brackets are rovided with a pair of upwardly exten ing lugs 59 having apertures 60 through which is passed a pin 61, suc-h pin engaging in the groove 56 of the rotary rails. The brackets 53 are formed with an additional lug 62 having an aperture 63 therethrough to hold the pin 61 after removal from the lugs 59 while the structure is being assembled or disassembled.

The stretcher frame 14 is shown particuto allow threading of the web straps 'as' hereafter described. f

As above mentioned, there are a series of webs 15 formed of suitable strong fabric adapted to be rolled underneath the patient and each section of web is provided with a plurality of straps 16 secured along the side edge. After the webs have been placed underneath the patient, the frame forming the stretcher is raised or lowered by means of the straps 13 which as above mentioned are secured to the rotary rails 12 and engage the stretcher frame 14 bymeans of hooks 70 engaging eyes 71 on the frame. The stretcher frame may be grasped by the handle 72 in this operation. The straps 16 are then threaded upwardly' through the cut-out section 69 of the wood frame, up through the slots 66 and down through the slots 67. Then when the stretcher is elevated by o erating the crank 31, the weight of the patient causes the tongue 68 to bite into the strap and form a tight buckling thereof and thus lifting the patient from the bed.

It is believed that the operation and manner of use of my hospital lift will be obvi- On account of using the worm and Worm gear for operating the elevating mechanism there isno danger of the weight of the patient causing the straps to unwind and thus lower the stretcher frame when it is not so intended. It requires apositive operation of the crank 3110 lift or lower the patient but on account of the gearing used it is a simple matter for' a nurse to lift a heavy patient with my appliance.

It will be readily seen that the Whole device may be easily disassembled. The head and foot sections are readily removable from a bed and the rotary rails 12 are easily disconnected from the bearing brackets 53 and from the stub shafts 38. If desired my hospital lift may be constructed as an integral unit with a hospital bed, in which case it could be materially simplified by the omission of the telescopic legs and other details. However, for general ready attachment and detachment from a bed the telescopic legs could be omitted and hooks similar to 47 utilized for both standards to hook them to the lower rails 4 at the head and foot of the bed.

M invention may be considerably modified in general features and also in details Without departing from the spirit thereof and may also be modified to form an appliance for special treatment of an invali Having described my invention, what I claim is: t 1. A hospital lift comprising 1n combination a bed, a air of standards secured to the head and oot of the bed, a cross frame secured at the top of each standard, a pair of rotary side rails journaled on the ends of the cross frames, a stretcher suspended from the side rails by straps and a system of shafts and gears extending through one of the standards and its cross frame to rotate the side rails to raise and lower the stretcher.

2. A hospital lift as claimed in claim 1, in which the system of shafts and gearing comprises a vertical shaft in one of the standards, a gear thereon, a crank operative gear to turn same, a cross shaft in the cross frame, a bevel gear connection between the vertical shaft and the cross shaft and bevel gears on the ends of the cross shaft meshing with gears on the side rails.

3. A hospital lift for invalids comprising in combination a bed and ends having a top rail, a pair of post-like standards at opposite ends of thebed clamped to said toprails, one'of said standards being hollow and having a gear'bracket at its upper end, a cross frame connected to said bracket, yokes secured t6 the ends of the cross frame, thc other standard having a cross frame on its upper end, a pair of bearing brackets on Pthe outer ends of saidcross frame, a pair of side rails journaled in said yokes and the bearing brackets, a stretcher suspended by straps from the rotary rails and a shaft extending vertically through the hollow standard, cross shafts in the cross frame, means to rotate the vertical shaft and gearing transmitting motion therefrom to the side rails.

4. A hospital lift for invalids as claimed in claim 3,'having in addition stu-b shafts journaled in the said yokes and the rotary rails telescopically connected to said stub shafts.

5. In a hospital lift, a standard formed of i a tubular post, a gear casing secured to said post, a vertical shaft in said post, a gear,y

bracket secured to the top of the hollow post, apair of tubular bars connected to the gear bracket and extending sideways therefrom, a yoke secured to the end of each arm, a cross shaft through the tubular bars, bevel gearing connecting the cross shaft and the vertical shaft, stub shafts in the yokes and bevel gears between the cross ,shafts and the stub shafts, and gearing in the gear casing connected to the vertical shaft with means to operate said gearing to transmit rotary- SIMON C. EDMISTON. 

